What do 53 developers, 18 entrepreneurs, three designers, one surgeon and a dog named Goose have in common? These eager participants (and K9) all gathered this past weekend for over 24 hours at the first Mod the Future Hackathon in New York City in a quest to create a winning Moto Mod concept for the Moto Z.

The outcome was the creation of some truly amazing new Moto Mods concepts. We saw initial ideas for a video paging Mod, a ‘Smart Cart’ retail shopping Mod and an emergency situation response Mod for consumers. We also heard about an insulin level monitoring concept and a water pollution testing Mod. Encouraging participants’ individuality to shine, these concepts speak to the core principles of Moto Mods -- continued innovation and unlimited possibilities for consumers. This is the future of mobile in an increasingly stagnant industry.

With teams and participants representing five different countries -- from the U.S. and Canada to Brazil, Latvia and Mexico -- the ideas presented at the hackathon were as unique and diverse as the participants themselves.

“It’s really exciting to think that I can take a piece of hardware, put it on my device, swap it out for something else and I don’t need an app to do it,” said participant and second place winner Aaron Franco.

24 Hours of Hacking
All of the wires, soldering irons and microscopes aside, hacking isn’t always so simple, especially when the sky truly is the limit.

The room was electric, yet calm and focused all at the same time. Energy drink cans covered tables and participants took quick power naps whenever they could, as teams of beginners and seasoned veterans alike worked to overcome challenges.

At the end of it all, 96 slices of pizza, 96 bagels and 128 energy drinks were consumed. More than 2,400 total man hours were put in, with 17 projects submitted by the deadline from participants ranging in age from 16 to 78. And after 45 minutes of judging, the top three Moto Mods concepts were announced.

Meet the Three Winning Concepts

“Advanced Audio” -- Curtis Mason, Andrew Afflitto, Mark Ayad, Abigail Brown and Yousef Alsayid
Using the USB MDK connection, Modio interfaces with a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to provide audio input and output to the smartphone. This concept is hugely beneficial to musicians and audiophiles, giving the Moto Z HiDef audio ports (such as those found in recording studios and expensive speaker systems) that can transmit audio to applicable headphones/speakers in a much higher way than the standard headphone jack.

“This is crazy. I didn’t really expect this, but I know we all put in our maximum effort and it came together,” said Andrew Afflitto when they were announced as the winners.

“Sidepad” -- Gabriel Ortiz and Aaron Franco
While playing games on smartphones is fun, the best gamepads are ones that are bigger than the mobile device and provide a more immersive experience. As a full-featured gamepad concept, Sidepad seeks to provide this enhanced experience for true gamers by adding gaming controls on the Moto Z (buttons versus touchscreen). According to Aaron Franco, it was “totally worth staying up all night.”

“Bella” -- Ally Cheung, Nancy Wan and Sylvee Lee
Bella is a skin care companion for your pocket that provides personal beauty and skincare tips. This concept allows Moto Z to collect real-time data from your skin and surrounding environment using built in sensors that examine factors such as UV levels, air quality, and if aimed at your face, skin elasticity levels.

“As modern women, we think it’s useful to be able to monitor our skin and stay youthful. It was such an amazing experience,” said Ally Cheung and Nancy Wan after learning they were in the winners circle.

Next Stop: San Francisco

This is only the beginning -- our next hackathon will be in San Francisco on January 21-22. The Grand Prize Winners of both the New York and San Francisco hackathons will receive a team cash prize of $5,000 and a Moto Z and Moto Mods Development Kit per team member. A representative from the winning team will also be invited to Chicago to present their ideas to a panel of Motorola leaders at Motorola’s headquarters and discuss how to bring their idea to market. If the concept impresses Lenovo Capital, they could even receive investment funding. Additionally, winning teams will be entered into the Moto Mods Partner program and be connected with a dedicated Business Development Mentor. Anyone who creates Moto Mod concepts during a hackathon will have the opportunity to participate in the Indiegogo campaign, as well.

For more information or to register for the Mod the Future Hackathon in San Francisco, visit modthefuture.com.

Six months ago, we took a stand against incremental innovation with our Moto Z family of smartphones and Moto Mods™ – and we’ve never looked back. Since announcing our developer program in June, more than 250 companies and developers have started working with our Moto Mod Development Kit. We’ve also received more than 360 submissions worldwide to participate in our collaboration with Indiegogo, which helps developers raise money and provides support to bring their ideas for future Moto Mods to life.

And we’re not stopping there. From new releases available today (see below) to 24-hour hackathons, we’re bringing you even more ways to innovate and customize with Moto.

NEW: Incipio Vehicle Dock

The Incipio Vehicle Dock Moto Mod is perfect for on-the-go folks looking for a more efficient way to get from point A to point B. It offers hands-free navigation and calling, audio integration and fast charging without the need to constantly connect and disconnect wires. Essentially, it’s the best co-pilot you’ve ever had. Features include:

Magnetic phone mount: Your phone is securely held in place by magnets, and ejects just as quickly with easy-release levers.

Hassle-free setup: The vehicle dock secures to the air vent and connects to your car’s audio system via Bluetooth - or connect an auxiliary cable to the 3.5mm jack on the dock.

Android Auto™ capability: Android Auto provides a simple and intuitive interface and powerful new voice actions. Make phone calls, or send and receive messages while keeping your hands on the wheel.

15W fast charging: Built-in support for up to 15W fast charging means a 10-minute car ride can add hours of power to your day.*

NEW: mophie juice pack

Great for any phone addict who is always running low on battery life, the mophie juice pack Moto Mod features:

Charges separately: A built-in USB-C connector allows you to fast-charge your juice pack even when it’s not attached to your phone so you’ll have a full battery waiting whenever you need to power up.

Efficiency mode: Use this Moto Mod’s efficiency mode, which helps you get up to 25 percent more battery life. It communicates with your phone and automatically starts charging whenefficiency is at its peak.

In the U.S., the Incipio Vehicle Dock is available at Verizon for $64.99 and the mophie juice pack is available at Verizon for $79.99. Check with your local rep for pricing and availability information in other countries.

Moto Mod Hackathons

As previously announced, to support our developer community beyond providing the Moto Mods Development Kit, we’re hosting a series of hackathons to spur innovation. We recently hosted a hackathon in Argentina, in which 25 participants built their own Moto Mod concepts in 24 hours. The first hackathon in the U.S. takes place December 10-11, 2016, in New York – and it’s already at capacity. The next hackathon will be held in San Francisco in January 2017.

Click here for more information about how to attend a hackathon. Winners will have the opportunity to discuss their idea further with industry leaders at Moto HQ in Chicago and will potentially receive seed funding to bring their idea to market.

*Compatible vehicle power adapter and auxiliary cable sold separately. Requires download of Android Auto app from the Google Play™ store.